Midnight Circus in the Parks was founded on the belief that community involvement is the foundation on which to build long‐term success with positive effects lasting well beyond a two‐hour performance. To that end, all performances are affordable, accessible, and provide a platform for community groups to volunteer, fund raise and become active arts participants. Along with the wonderful Park Advisory Councils (PACs) at each park, Midnight Circus in the Parks seeks out extraordinary community organizations to collaborate with in the neighborhoods we play.

At McKinley Park, we look forward to once again working with the incredible folks at Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC). BPNC is a community-based, nonprofit organization serving a working-class neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest side with a mission to create a safer community, improve the learning environment at public schools, preserve affordable housing, provide a voice for youth, protect immigrant rights, promote gender equality, and end all forms of violence.

Find out more about this wonderful organization and how you can support the work of Brighton Park Neighborhood Council by visiting their site.

Amy Ewaldt, President of the Maplewood and Lucy Flower Park Advisory Council (MLFPAC), invited me and Maria Stone, Community Relations Manager for the Chicago Park District, to take a walking tour of her community.

Joyce Chapman was born in Japan to an African American dad and Japanese mother. Her father, a soldier with the Army, met her mother while stationed in Japan. Joyce’s early years were that of a typically ‘Army brat’ living in various places throughout the world. In June of 1968 when Joyce was twelve, her parents settled in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. Pullman was a bit of a shock to Joyce and her brother. They had never lived in a solely black community before.

Asiaha Butler (pronounce Ay-Sha) has a positive energy that’s infectious. She saw a problem in her community of Englewood and wanted to make a difference. She didn’t know where to start, at first, but that didn’t stop her. Until recently, she was working downtown at the Institute of Real Estate Management, an association for property managers, as the supervisor for Education Services. Anyone who meets Asiaha knows she’s a natural leader. Plus, from her years in the business, she understood real estate and development. Butler felt she had the capacity to make an impact, the question was how.

The park had an amazing neighborhood advocate, Tom Cunningham, who basically served as a one-man advisory council. He pushed for the new playground that was installed ten years ago and the new roof on the field house. When Tom passed, I felt compelled to get involved to help continue his work.

Midnight Circus in the Parks was founded on the belief that community involvement is the foundation on which to build long‐term success with positive effects lasting well beyond a two‐hour performance. To that end, all performances are affordable, accessible, and provide a platform for community groups to volunteer, fund raise and become active arts participants. Along with the wonderful Park Advisory Councils (PACs) at each park, Midnight Circus in the Parks seeks out extraordinary community organizations to collaborate with in the neighborhoods we play.

It all started at a Welles Park Advisory Council meeting about eleven years ago. Jeff and Julie Jenkins walked in with a video of Midnight Circus and an idea to help the park raise the money to redo our terribly run down play lot. The second I saw the video, I knew, if we built it, they would come. We had just organized our Easter Egg Extravaganza with pizza, an art project and Easter bunny raising $6,000. The community was ready.